The Secretary-General of the United Nations on the eightieth anniversary of the founding of the Organization: Humanity is stronger when we unite

In his speech at Westminster Methodist Central Hall – the same hall that hosted the Society’s first public meeting on 10 January 1946 – Guterres called on delegates participating in the event to be “courageous enough to change, courageous enough to be inspired by the courage of those who gathered in this hall 80 years ago to build a better world.”

The event – organized by the United Nations Assembly in the UK on Saturday – brought together more than a thousand delegates from around the world, and speakers included UN General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock, UN space advocate Professor Brian Cox and UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Maya Ghazal.

The event also commemorated the 80th anniversary of the first meeting of the UN Security Council, which was held on 17 January 1946 at the nearby Church House.

During his keynote address, Guterres reflected on the symbolic location of the celebration. The first General Assembly convened within these walls four months after the end of World War II, in bomb-ravaged London, where tens of thousands were killed, a powerful reminder of why the United Nations was created.

The Secretary-General said: “To reach this hall, delegates had to pass through a war-torn city. Buckingham Palace, Westminster and the House of Commons were bombed by the Luftwaffe. While those bombs were falling, terrified civilians took shelter here, in the basement of the Methodist Central Hall – one of the largest public air raid shelters in London.”

During a period of intense air raids, up to 2,000 people gathered in the hall in search of protection, before the nations of the world gathered there in 1946 to “save future generations from the scourge of war.”

He continued his speech by saying: “In many ways, this hall is a physical embodiment of what the United Nations stands for: a place where people put their trust – for peace, security and a better life.”

The world of 2026 is not like the world of 1946

In the 80 years since the first General Assembly, the United Nations has expanded from 51 members to 193 members. Mr. Guterres emphasized that the General Assembly – the main deliberative, policy-making and representative body of the United Nations – is “the parliament of the family of nations. It is a platform where all voices are heard, a crucible for forging consensus, and a beacon of cooperation.”

While he acknowledged that the work of the General Assembly “may not always be smooth or free of obstacles,” he described it as “a mirror of our world, with its divisions and its hopes. It is the stage on which our common story is played out.”

Reflecting on the past decade, Mr. Guterres spoke of how “the conflicts in Gaza, Ukraine and Sudan have been brutal and brutal; artificial intelligence has become ubiquitous almost overnight; and the pandemic has fanned the flames of nationalism, derailing progress on development and climate action.”

Mr. Guterres stressed that the year 2025 was a “challenging” year for international cooperation and the values ​​of the United Nations. He added: “Aid has been reduced. Inequality has widened. Climate chaos has accelerated. International law has been violated. Repressions against civil society have intensified. Journalists have been killed with impunity. UN staff have been repeatedly threatened, or killed, in the line of duty.”

The United Nations reported in 2025 that global military spending would reach $2.7 trillion – more than 200 times the UK’s current aid budget – equivalent to more than 70% of the total British economy. Mr. Guterres noted that fossil fuel profits continued to rise while the planet broke temperature records.

In cyberspace, the Secretary-General said, algorithms rewarded lies, fueled hatred, and provided authoritarian regimes with powerful tools of control.

Pluralism rather than division

Mr. Guterres called for a “strong, responsive and adequately resourced” multilateral system to address interconnected global challenges, but warned that “the values ​​of multilateralism are being eroded.”

The Secretary-General gave an example of a historic international agreement to protect marine life in international waters and the seabed, which enters into force today, Saturday, and described it as “a model of modern diplomacy, led by science, and with the participation not only of governments, but also of civil society, indigenous peoples and local communities.”

He added: “These quiet victories of international cooperation – wars averted, famines averted, vital treaties concluded – do not always make the headlines. However, they are real and important. If we are to achieve more such victories, we must ensure full respect for international law and defend multilateralism, strengthening it in our time.”

Addressing the audience in London, the Secretary-General expressed his “gratitude to the United Kingdom for its crucial role in establishing the United Nations” and for being “a strong pillar of multilateralism and a supporter of the United Nations today.”

Big bets for a better world

Looking to the future, the Secretary-General called for an international order that reflects the modern world, including reform of international financial systems and the Security Council. “As global centers of power shift, we have the ability to build a future that is either more just or more turbulent,” he said.

The Secretary-General reminded delegates in London that when the United Nations first opened its doors, “Many of its employees bore the obvious scars of war – a limp, a scar or a burn.”

“There is a persistent myth – one that resonates louder every day – that peace is naivety. That the only true politics is one of self-interest and power,” Mr. Guterres said. He added: “But the founders of the United Nations were not insulated from reality. On the contrary, they witnessed war, and realized that peace, justice and equality are the most courageous, practical and necessary endeavors of all.”